Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Laura Huffman today signed on to a statement with leaders from the Metro 8 Chambers of Commerce in support of Gov. Greg Abbott's plan to gradually open the Texas economy:

"As leaders of the Texas business community, we applaud Gov. Abbott for focusing on the incremental steps necessary to reopen the Texas economy. We recognize this effort will need to balance public health considerations while restarting economic activity in a phased and gradual approach that guards against subsequent spikes in infections. While each of our communities is different, we recognize that businesses play a vital role in enacting specific measures to keep their workforce safe and thereby protecting the entire community. We are encouraged by the governor’s willingness to work collaboratively with the business community. While COVID-19 will have long-term impacts on our state, smart policy decisions made now can greatly accelerate our economic recovery. We appreciate the governor’s leadership on this issue and look forward to working with the task force."

Separately, Huffman noted:

"We especially look forward to working with many of the Austin region's own who have been appointed to the Governor's Strike Force to Open Texas, including former Austin Chamber board chair Sen. Kirk Watson, Michael Dell, Kendra Scott, Robert Smith and Adriana Cruz. We're delighted former Austin Chamber board member James Huffines is leading this strike force. The work and insight these community and business leaders will provide is paramount to getting our region back to work."

About the Austin Chamber
The Austin Chamber is a nonprofit membership organization that helps create jobs so people can find work, provide for their families and achieve prosperity. The Chamber invests in a broad range of programs that build, support, and diversify our regional economy.

About the Metro 8 Chambers of Commerce
The Metro 8 Chambers of Commerce represent the business sectors of the eight largest metropolitan cities in Texas: Arlington, Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas, El Paso, Houston, Fort Worth, and San Antonio. Collectively, the Metro 8 Chambers of Commerce serve more than 20,000 businesses across the State of Texas.

###